Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir Drug & Food Control Organisation has moved to ban the sale and distribution of three cough syrup brands, including ColdRif Syrup, after they were declared“Not of Standard Quality” by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) due to the presence of toxic impurities.

The alert was issued following a communication from the CDSCO under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, which found that the syrups contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) impurities beyond permissible limits - a compound known to cause severe poisoning and linked to multiple child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

According to the public notice issued by the Office of the State Drugs Controller, the affected formulations include Relif Syrup (Ambroxol HCl, Terbutaline Sulphate, Guaiphenesin & Menthol) manufactured by M/s Shape Pharma Pvt Ltd, Gujarat, and marketed by Leo Life Science Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad;
RespiFresh-TR Syrup (Bromhexine Hydrochloride, Terbutaline Sulphate, Guaiphenesin & Menthol) manufactured by M/s Rednex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ahmedabad, and marketed by Smartway Wellness Pvt Ltd, Sanand; and ColdRif Syrup (Paracetamol, Phenylephrine Hydrochloride & Chlorpheniramine Maleate) manufactured by M/s Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Tamil Nadu.

The samples of these syrups were tested at the Drug Testing Laboratory, Food and Drug Administration, Madhya Pradesh, where they failed quality checks due to DEG impurity levels exceeding safety norms. Describing the situation as“serious,” Joint Drugs Controller Purnima Kabu stated that the products have been linked to the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, prompting immediate preventive action in Jammu and Kashmir.

“As a matter of abundant precaution and proactive measure, pharma wholesalers, retailers, distributors, registered medical practitioners, hospitals, and healthcare institutions are hereby directed to immediately stop further procurement, sale, and utilization of these drugs irrespective of all batches till further notice,” the official notice reads.

The order further instructs that any available stock of the banned syrups within the Union Territory be reported to the Office of the J&K State Drug Controller.

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